Comet
by Ana Morada
Summary: Olivia can't stop thinking about her coworker.
1. Behind Brown Eyes

It had been a rough day for Olivia Benson. Not rough like scrapes and bruises; she could deal with those. No, this was rough like watching a kid get murdered, or seeing your best friend being hit by a car. Elliot Stabler was kind enough to keep the hell away from her, knowing full well that she hated discussing emotions, but Fin and Munch weren't nearly as accustomed to their female co-worker: Just as they were all leaving, Fin growled out, "Hey sour-puss, wanna go grab a couple of beers? It'll take the edge off ya." Olivia did her best to hide the surge of irritation at the playful jibe and stated simply, "Sorry boys, but alcohol just doesn't sound good right now."

Far from being able to understand the concept of alcohol not sounding good to somebody, it had only been the sharp whack that Fin received from Munch that had put an end to the over-extended invitation. Now Olivia sat alone at her desk, and she felt truly drained. Papers lay strewn across her messy desk, and much-deserved sleep crowded her mind. Unable to filter it out, she slowly leaned over her desk, face pressed to the cool metal, and her eyes didn't open until the feel of somebody's cold hand shocked her out of what could have easily been confused for a coma.

"Olivia? What are you doing here?"

Swiveling around clumsily, her heart rate slowed when she realized it was just Alex Cabot. The moment of relief was short-lived, however, and she glowed horribly when she noticed that she probably looked as crappy as she felt. The temperature inversion did not go unnoticed by the ADA, though it was definitely misinterpreted:

"Olivia, do you have a fever? You're burning up."

The detective thought that 'burning up' was precisely what she was doing. She felt like a flaming comet, bursting through the atmosphere at unbearably high speeds. It didn't help that Alex continued to press her palm against the back of her neck, going farther to smooth her hair back from her face.

"Come on Detective, let's get you home. Come on."

Slowly Alex coaxed her upright, and the tall blond gathered up her things, leading the groggy brown-eyed woman out into the parking lot.

"You're getting sick, aren't you?"

And Olivia nodded, because it was easier than telling the truth: She was in love with Alex Cabot, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.


	2. Behind Blue Eyes

It had started innocently enough, as far as attraction can go.

Alexandra Cabot was not one for crushes, so she surprised herself when she realized that the feelings she housed for Detective Benson were more than platonic. She wasn't sure how it had come about, this juvenile fancy that she'd developed, but ever since she had first became aware of the way she blushed when Olivia strode into the room, she'd worked tirelessly to rectify the problem. From pulling extra hours to filling up her schedule with dinners and suitors, she had gone above and beyond to alter what she refused to accept was simply set in stone: she was falling in love with Olivia Benson, and no amount of boyfriends or paperwork were going to change that.

Still, she tried her hardest to deny her growing feelings and urges. When Olivia was present, she looked down at her desk and recited The Bill of Rights in her head, scribbling away meaningless dribble that would eventually end up being erased due to lack of focus. When the Detective spoke to her, she forced herself to use as curt a tone as possible, weakening under the sound of the deep tones of her forbidden fantasy and trying to cover it up by being extra-aggressive. And when Olivia touched her…she lost all thought process, unable to form coherent speech. So she said nothing, at risk of revealing the fact that when Olivia Benson was around, she became perpetually tongue-tied.

Not surprisingly, Alexandra found her focus slipping at work. Regardless of the efforts she made to ignore her secret infatuation, she could _not_ pretend that her job was going unaffected, and so she began to pull late-nighters in an attempt to pick up the slack. It was on an occasion such as this, where her eyes were set in rings of purple and the clock red 2:45, that she slipped out of her office and realized with a jolt that she had left her keys on one of the Detective's desks earlier in the AM. With a groan, she took off in the direction of the empty precinct, praying that nobody had locked up the place.

Upon reaching the empty precinct, however, she realized immediately that something was wrong: It wasn't empty. Clicking the door softly shut behind her and peering through the darkness at the only light on in the place, Alex recognized the sleeping form of Olivia Benson, head resting on her desk. The Detective was surrounded by the buttery glow of her desk lamp, and though Alex crept forward with little _tip taps_ across the floor, the toffee-skinned woman did not stir from her slumber.

Up close, one could clearly see the lines of stress marking Olivia's brow, furrowed even in sleep, but Alexandra did not notice those things. What she noticed were Olivia's mulberry lips, curled into a pout that was simply adorable. She saw long black lashes, feathered and striking, resting against tan cheeks that had never looked so smooth before. And she saw, quite clearly and unmistakably, the woman she loved.

And it broke her heart.

Turning away for a moment, she realized that her keys were resting innocently on the front of Olivia's desk, and she knew that it was time for her to leave. But looking back at Olivia, so peaceful and so entirely _lovely_, Alex knew that she couldn't lie to herself anymore. She didn't know what she meant to accomplish by it, but in one huge moment of weakness, she slid her hand over the back of Olivia's neck and inhaled immediately. The woman was so incredibly warm that Alex worried her fingers might melt, but before she could think any more about it, Olivia's head lifted, and she peered groggily up at the blushing attorney.

"Olivia? What are you doing here?"

Smooth, Cabot. Real smooth.

Luckily, Olivia Benson was hardly capable of interrogating her. Quickly, Alex tried to think up a way out of the situation she'd just gotten herself into: She was standing alone, in the dark, with a sleepy detective who was slowly becoming more lucid. This was not a favorable position to be in. Light blue eyes trained on Olivia, it was then that she noticed it…Olivia's darker features, while harder to read than her own, were doing something that Alex had never seen them do before: Olivia Benson was blushing.

"Olivia, do you have a fever? You're burning up."

Without thinking, she pressed her cool hand against Olivia's forehead, just as her own mother would have done, and she felt the skin burn against her flesh. Indeed, Olivia did look a bit flustered…perhaps she was sick? Brushing stray strands of dark hair out of Olivia's eyes, she wondered how much more she could get away with before the Detective became suspicious. Surely she could offer her a ride? Friends did do that for each other, after all, and there was nothing wrong with being friendly towards her coworker.

"Come on Detective, let's get you home. Come on."

Surprisingly, Olivia rose without further persuasion, looking confused and extremely tired. Snatching up her keys from the Detective's desk, Alex placed a gentle hand on Olivia's elbow and directed her towards the exit, remembering just in time to remove Olivia's black leather jacket from the back of her seat. Folding it over the same arm that held her briefcase, she walked side-by-side with Olivia out into the parking lot. After a few moments of silence, Alex leaned close and whispered,

"You're getting sick, aren't you?"

And when Olivia nodded, Alex knew it for sure: Sick or not, Olivia was turning out to be the best mistake she had ever made.


	3. Chocolate Road

Olivia didn't know how she got into Alex Cabot's car.

It wasn't the first time that the blond had made her forget what she was doing, but never before had she actually drifted off so entirely. Yes, she oftentimes found herself losing track of her environment when the object of her affections strode into the room. This was a common reaction to the pale-skinned, slight attorney. It was also true that she_ had_ lost her train of thought more than once in Alex's presence…but Olivia Benson did not have a record of awakening from her reveries in strange vehicles, and it alarmed her.

"Are we…?"

Her words fell sloppily out of her mouth, and she realized slowly that the reason she wasn't at her best attention may not have just been Alex's fault: she was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open, and her mouth was clumsy. Alex put the keys in the ignition, and the rumble of the smooth car engine was like a lullaby to the detective.

"Hmm?"

Olivia barely heard the attorney's hummed response, head heavier than the amount of paperwork she'd left unfinished on her desk, and she struggled for words to describe her confusion.

"Where are we going?"

Her stomach leapt slightly as Alex's hands glanced over her stomach, pulling her seatbelt down over her body and maneuvering it into the lock with a little _click_.

"I'd like to take you home, detective…"

For a moment Olivia tensed in surprise, and her eyes flew open against the strong folds of drowsiness.

"So, are you awake enough to give directions?"

Heart sinking as the cold pain of reality sunk in, Olivia slumped imperceptibly in her seat, pouting. For a moment, it had sounded as if Alex had wanted to…but no. Just as formal and polite as ever, the blue-blooded attorney had meant nothing by the poorly phrased statement.

"Olivia? Are you falling asleep?"

Suddenly an idea struck the detective at Alex's questioning, and she stopped battling her desire to doze off immediately. Sure, Cabot hadn't meant anything outside of being courteous… but why not take advantage of her hospitality? After all, you couldn't get directions from somebody who was unconscious.

Just as she'd hoped, the ride began without another word from the composed blonde, comfortable quiet settling over them both. Olivia's ear pressed against her right shoulder, and instead of sleeping, all she could think about was the woman sitting next to her. She imagined those powder blue eyes in her mind, saw the boldly framed glasses perched on a noble nose that Alex had undoubtedly inherited from some rich and impressive ancestor. Then she thought of the way the pretty attorney's face was hardly ever relaxed, and immediately remembered the time that she had made Alexandra Cabot, the impenetrable ice queen, smile.

It had been a little thing, small an unnoticed by all except those directly involved. Benson and the boys had been crouched over their desks, noses stuck to the documents they were working on, and the clock on the wall was ticking so loudly that it was slowly beginning to drive Olivia insane.

_**Tick**_

_Tock_

_**Tick**_

_Tock_

_**Tick.**_

She'd wanted to misuse her firearm so badly that her fingers kept twitching towards the gun on her desk, but she'd managed to control herself by thinking of the horrendous noise it would make. Plus, she'd probably have to buy the precinct a new clock, and the irony in that would be simply sickening.

_**Tick**_

_Tock_

_**Tick**_

_Tock_

_**Tick.**_

The door opened right as Olivia's hand had closed contemplatively over the grip of her gun, and all heads looked up to see Alex Cabot, wearing her usual black and blue attire. The attorney had gazed curiously at all of them for a moment, sharp features ablaze with a child-like interest, and then she locked eyes with the detective. Life went on around them, but neither woman would let go. It was strange, staring into that blue abyss so openly, but Olivia Benson had been unable to look away. Slowly the clock ticked on, counting the seconds, and they rang louder than ever in Olivia's absent thoughts:

_**Tick**_

_Tock_

_**Tick**_

_Tock_

_**Tick.**_

"How's it going, Cabot?"

And Alex had melted, pleasure glowing like fairy dust behind the sparkle of her periwinkle eyes. In that moment, everything had been clear between them: they made sense to each other, and that sense made them both sparkle with the radiance of their understanding. Alex had smiled, and Olivia…Olivia had witnessed it with wide brown eyes, giving the attorney a lopsided grin of her own that had only seemed to deepen Alexandra's happiness.

"We're here, Olivia."

Just as Alex said it, the car crunched into a parking space and halted abruptly, the engine switching off with a breath of relief issuing forth. Silence surrounded them for a moment, and Olivia felt uniquely content about the situation. For just a few seconds more, she allowed herself the privilege of not knowing. Not knowing where she was, not knowing what she was supposed to do, not knowing what Alex thought of things. Not knowing anything at all but the warmth of her body, the cool window pane she leaned on, and the buzz of the outside world. Then, Alex's soft fingers rubbed her shoulder gently, and she wanted to know _everything _at once.

"Where's here?"

Opening doe brown eyes that shone dully in the dark, the detective squinted out the window and saw unfamiliar sidewalk, a tall building towering before them.

"My apartment."

Finally, Olivia looked upon the porcelain face of the person she'd spent the entire car ride picturing. Alex's pale eyebrows tilted back in an expression of concern, and the sweetest tinge of pink rode gently atop her high cheekbones. Realizing that this was so much better than ignorance, the brunette leaned her head against her seat, inhaled slowly, and smiled. Alexandra Cabot was taking her home, and the situation was…well, beautiful.


	4. Blueberry Amble

Olivia Benson was obviously coming down with something.

Alex knew a sick person from a healthy one, and the absent, dazed look on her coworker's face clearly illustrated the fact that she was not feeling up to par. Again, Alex wondered if this was the right thing for her to do. After all, Olivia was hardly in a position to refuse her offer of a ride, and if Alex knew the detective at all, she had a hunch that Olivia would normally hate to be mothered. However, Olivia said nothing against getting into Alex's car, so the concerned attorney opened the side door for her and helped her in, knowing full well that Olivia could manage on her own, but also fully aware of the opportunity to make some sort of physical contact with the usually unapproachable woman.

Finished on the passenger's side, she looped around the front of the car and slid into the driver's seat, shutting the door firmly as Olivia mumbled something fragmented.

"Are we…?"

Turning, Alex took a second to register the half-finished question. The milky circle of white light being issued from the lamppost above them hit Olivia's face in a peculiar manner, making certain parts seem darker and graver than usual. Her eyes caught the glow and shined in the blonde's direction, but Alex couldn't help but notice the unintentional frown that played on Olivia's dark lips, tugging just barely on the corners of her mouth to make her seem…well, _vulnerable_. It must have just been a trick of the light, however, because Alexandra Cabot couldn't imagine Olivia Benson ever being that way. Still, the pouting lips and raised eyebrows belonged to that of a young child, not a hardcore detective, and Alex had never seen that tenderness in her before…Sticking the keys into the ignition, the car started with rumble and began to purr, almost covering Alex's quiet response.

"Hmm?"

Great. She had only been alone with Olivia for a minute, and already she was loosing her intelligent speech. Luckily, the detective took no notice of her monosyllabic response. Not often could Alex get away with such subtle discrepancies, because the people she worked with were trained to notice things that were out of the ordinary. Apparently, however, Olivia was too tired to pick up on these nuances, and that suited Alex just fine.

"Where are we going?"

Ok. Maybe Olivia wasn't as out of it as she'd originally thought. Reaching over quickly, she stretched the seatbelt across Olivia's torso and clicked it into place, ignoring the way Olivia's body heat made her shudder. To combat her unwelcome emotions, she stared furiously at the windshield as though looking anywhere else would result in her immediate death. Still, she could not banish her body's reactions, and Alex flushed slightly and began to chew on her lower lip, face turned away from Olivia so that the detective couldn't witness her nerves.

"I'd like to take you home, detective…"

The words came out before she could censor them, and with a jolt, Alex realized the double meaning. Wishing that she were in a position to actually suggest such a grand evening destination, Alex instead found her wits almost immediately and did the obvious thing: being a lawyer, she caught herself just before she hit the ground.

"…so, are you awake enough to give directions?"

Her own voice sounded unbearably stiff and formal, even to her own ears, yet the ploy seemed to work…pulling out of the space, she began a steady crawl for the exit of the parking lot, noting absently that it was almost empty. Daring herself to look at Olivia, she glanced over to gage her expression, only to find something that made her stomach clench and her resolve flicker: the detective was wearing an unusual expression of disappointment. The round eyes and slumped posture were unmistakable, yet Alex did not understand. Had she said something wrong? Did Olivia...did Olivia actually want to come over? Then the detective's eyes closed wearily, and Alex knew that it was all in her imagination. What was wrong with her? She wanted something so badly that she simply refused see the truth in the matter: Olivia couldn't possibly be interested in her, any more than Alex could be interested in that slime-ball Trevor Langan, and it was time that Alex came to terms with that.

"Olivia? Are you falling asleep?"

It was another stupid question, one of many that Alex had asked that night. She wondered if she could actually author a book containing all of the idiotic things she said around Benson. This new idea would not be put into action however, because very promptly, Alex was met with silence from the brown-haired detective, and no words were needed to patch up the empty space. Instead, Alex just drove, because driving made sense.

Unlike everything else.

Slowly the silence filtered out all discomforts, channeling a type of safe energy that surrounded Alex and made her calm. Not unlike the way she felt when she was about to make a particularly smart move in trial, with absolute clarity she realized where she was going. The car began to move in a definite fashion, and in was at least half an hour before the vehicle came to a stop, sliding easily into a space that rested beneath the dingy illumination of a streetlight. Switching off the engine and withdrawing her keys, she sat for a moment and looked out her window, unable to predict what was about to happen, and for the first time in her life, ok with that.

"We're here, Olivia."

From the seat next to her, Olivia stirred slightly, stretching her legs and arms in a rustle of clothing. Alex kindly reached over and rubbed her shoulder soothingly, pressing just hard enough to wake her up. Slowly brown eyes became visible from beneath their lids, and Olivia sat up carefully.

"Where's here?"

As she spoke, the detective turned to look her in the eyes, and Alex felt the magnetic pull that Olivia unconsciously emanated immediately, tugging her tightly in and refusing to surrender control.

"My apartment."

Never once did she break eye contact, and Alex found herself remembering a time when she had stared into those brown eyes just as intensely, weeks ago. On that day, she had smiled so brightly that she'd surprised herself. Tonight, however, it was Olivia's turn, and the grin that came over the detective was enough to make the ice princess melt.


	5. Brown Noser

"Nice place you got here, Cabot."

Olivia Benson stepped through the door to Alex's apartment, taking all the time she could to revel in her own triumph. Somehow she found herself inside Alex's home at 3:30 in the morning, with the blonde following so closely behind her that Olivia could actually smell the sweet scent of her perfume.

"Thank you. I do what I can."

At the sound of her measured tone, Olivia looked about to find Alex carefully arranging her leather jacket on the small coat rack next to the entrance mat. White-blonde hair fell loosely down, brushing the powdered peach of Alex's skin. For an instant Olivia saw the tip of a nose, a flash of elegant blue, and the ripe crescent of a lower lip. Then Alex Cabot looked up, and the moment was gone.

"After this, I'd be too embarrassed to let you see my apartment."

"Don't be absurd, Detective. I'm sure your apartment would be perfectly acceptable."

Olivia paused, trying to decide what Alex meant by that statement. A second of confused silence sucked the air out of the room, and Olivia's brown eyes met Alex's blue ones. In an instant Olivia felt fire burn deep inside of her, like an explosion of sparks and ashes, so hot that it made her heart race.

"You're very tired."

Olivia didn't deny it. How could she, when the only reason she was even here at all was due to a clever disguise of drowsiness?

"If you say so."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Olivia stretched her arms above her head, stifling a yawn with difficulty.

"I get the couch, right?"

Lowering her arms and blinking sleepily, she gave Alex a lazy half-grin, brown eyes quizzical as they touched upon Alex's confusing expression.

"Something on your mind, Cabot?"

Alex started at the question, and she blinked quickly, raising both eyebrows.

"Not at all."

"Oh."

Tilting her head to the side, Olivia made a decision. With one eyebrow raised, she began to walk towards Alex, watching with surprise as Alex's blue eyes suddenly widened. If she didn't know any better…Olivia could've sworn that the attorney was holding her breath.

"You sure?"

She was so close now. Every time Alex exhaled, warm breath brushed against Olivia's tan neck, and the daring brunette angled her mouth so that it was tipping downwards, inches from plush pink lips that she so desperately wanted to taste…

"Goodnight, Detective."

Inhaling, Olivia caught Alex's eyes and watched with disbelief as the flushed attorney smiled at her, a smile that was full of satisfaction and secrets and wry intelligence. Olivia could have groaned, but Alex was already moving away across the main living room, disappearing into a darkened hallway that undoubtedly led to the bedroom. How was it that in one second Alex could make her feel completely sure of herself, and in the next leave her wondering what the hell had just happened?

Taking a heavy seat on the couch, Olivia looked over her shoulder towards the kitchen and sighed.

It must be an attorney thing.


	6. Blue Lips

This was happening…this was actually happening. Alex focused first on the stairs, then on the door, then on the key as Olivia walked in before her. Part of her conscious was screaming bloody murder, but Alex tried hard not to listen. _Nothing was going to happen._ They were two mature, adult professionals who cared about the job, and sometimes caring about the job meant caring about your coworkers…Alex's internal commentary snapped into oblivion as she looked up and nearly bumped into the stationary detective. To say that she was a finger's breadth away would have been an understatement, and Alex inhaled deeply to clear her head, but this only made matters worse, because now she could smell the detective's shampoo. Biting her lip, Alex took a moment to shamelessly stare at the woman in front of her, eyes lingering on a strip of olive skin that hovered exposed between Olivia's tank top and the waist of her pants. Alex wondered if Olivia's body was as feverishly hot as her forehead had been… distractedly reaching her hand forward, Alex started when Olivia turned into her touch, black leather jacket brushing against Alex's fingers.

"Nice place you got here, Cabot."

Snatching the folded jacket off of Olivia's arm, Alex turned quickly to hide her blush, struggling to compose herself.

"Thank you. I do what I can."

God, that had been so stupid. Why wasn't she thinking clearly? It was late, she was tired, Alex had always enjoyed midriffs... yes, that had to be it. Her inability to keep her hands to herself had nothing to do with the fact that Olivia was less than a foot away from her. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ears, Alex went to look up and found Olivia's eyes immediately, watching her so intensely that she felt herself freeze.

"After this, I'd be too embarrassed to let you see my apartment."

Turning away again, Alex smoothed out the sleeves of Olivia's jacket and let out a long breath, searching deep within herself for the Alex Cabot that dominated the courtroom, not the Alex Cabot that lost her train of thought whenever she looked into the eyes of a certain NYPD detective.

"Don't be absurd, Detective. I'm sure your apartment would be perfectly acceptable."

Feeling reassured by the sound of her own strong, confident voice, Alex bravely turned around to face Olivia and got the wind knocked out of her. Clearly her voice could not be trusted, because Olivia's gaze made her mind go blank and her mouth fall open. Deep within her, a string of warmth began to fizzle its way upwards like a persistent tickle, and Alex recognized her own arousal just as it hit. Fuck, this was going too far. She needed to get away from Olivia before she did something incredibly foolish.

"You're very tired."

Olivia smirked subtly at that, and Alex felt alive with unadulterated attraction.

"If you say so."

Then Olivia stretched upwards, and Alex stared as taught muscles became visible beneath a tank top that rode up. Olivia opened her eyes and Alex's gaze snapped to her face, heart pounding guiltily, and she swallowed as Olivia gave her a mischievous smile. Oh, god. This needed to stop.

"I get the couch, right?"

Alex heard Olivia speak, but she couldn't process the information. It was taking all of her self control not to lurch forward and launch what could only be labeled as an unprovoked assault on the detective, and even now, Alex wasn't sure that she would be able to hold out much longer. Not with the way Olivia was looking at her.

"Something on your mind, Cabot?"

Forcing herself out of her reverie, Alex blinked quickly and looked away, tightening her lips against a small exhale of pent up desire.

"Not at all."

"Oh."

Olivia was walking towards her. Shit. Alex held her breath and teetered on the brink of her sanity as her mind repeated over and over again, y_ou work together, you work together, you work together, you work together…_

"You sure?"

Olivia stopped, tilting her mouth downwards, and Alex opened her lips on an inhale that tasted of steamy breath and fiery need. She was centimeters away from Olivia's mouth, centimeters away from slippery warmth, centimeters away from making tomorrow morning very uncomfortable… and Olivia was doing this on purpose, Alex realized.

"Goodnight, Detective."

Smirking at Olivia, Alex stepped carefully around the detective and made her escape, heading for her bedroom immediately. As she entered, her smile slipped off of her face and she leaned heavily against her closed door, eyes rolling to the ceiling in a fruitless search for answers. What the hell was going on? Closing her eyes, she felt another torrent of desire rumble through her, and Alex blushed as she made her way over to her dresser, picking through her clothes for a night slip. This was so inappropriate, and so entirely out of her control…and she didn't care, and she wondered where Olivia had learned to flirt like that. Sighing, she turned to the door and stared at it, mind wandering.

It must be a detective thing.


End file.
